Marking device for shoe parts and the like



June 8, 1937. w. J. KNOX MARKING DEVICE FOR SHOE PARTS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 23, 1935 hwENTnR WILLIAM J. Knox ATTORNEY Patented June 8, 1937 UNITED STATES MARKING DEVICE FOR SHOE PARTS AND THE LIKE William J. Knox, Owego, N. Y.

Application September 23,1935, Serial No. 41357 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a marking device for shoe parts and the like of the class set forth in my Patent No. 1,670,511, dated May 22nd, 1928, and pertains more particularly to a marking pattern for such a device and to the construction thereof.

In preparing pieces of leather or other suitable material for assembly intoshoe form, it has heretofore been the practice first to out such pieces to size and shape according to the shoe to be made, and then to mark the pieces either by piercing the material, by making impressions in it, or with ink. Piercing has been done both by hand, using a form and punch, and by machine such as that illustrated in my above mentioned patent, which simultaneously pierces several such shoe parts by thrusting therethrough a plurality of sharp pointed punches. When using the piercing instruments for marking shoe parts, the

material of these parts is obviously mutilated to a certain extent by the holes permanently formed therethrough. This is not always desirable, particularly when forming a guide line for stitching or for determining the degree of overlap of one shoe piece upon another. Accordingly, in such cases, it has been customary to use a marking tool having a cast upstanding ridge which forms a marking edge of suitable design, with which tool w either impression marking or ink marking may be done. While this type of marker, which is shown in Figure 5 of my Patent No. 1,670,511, does not mutilate the material of the'shoe parts, it is expensive to make, due to the fact that a casting is required which consumes considerable labor and material.

An object of this invention is to provide a pattern marking means for shoe parts and the like which will not mutilate or injure the material as leather, comprising the parts.

'Another object of the invention is to provide pattern marking means for shoe parts which is adapted to form a continuous line or slight indentation or which may be constructed to produce a broken guide line or spaced indentations formed in longitudinal spaced relation which may be of greater or less uniform lengths or of variable lengths as may be desired or required, depending upon the size of the part being marked and upon f the contour of the pattern line.

r A further object of the invention resides in providing a pattern marking means of the above mentioned class which is inexpensive in construction and which is readily adapted for patterns of various sizes and also of various designs, contour or '55 outline. 7

A still further object of the invention is to provide a pattern marking device with means for slitting or perforating an intermediate portion of the shoe part during the marking thereof by lines or slight indentations.

Other objects and advantages pertaining to the structure of the device will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bottom or guide pattern with shoe parts, illustrated by broken lines, placed thereon in position to be operated on by a marking pattern.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of my novel marking pattern.

Figures 3 and 4 are enlarged detail transverse sectional views taken substantially in the plane of the lines 33 and L 3, respectively, Figure 2.

Figure 5 is aperspective view of amarker supporting post or stud.

Figure 6 is a perspective view form of marker stud.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of marker supporting post or stud.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a still further modified form of marker.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a further possible arrangement of my marking device.

The guide pattern shown in Figure 1 is inof a modified tended to be used in the bottom part of a machine such as illustrated in my Patent No. 1,670,511, and is adapted to cooperate with the marking pattern shown in Figure 2, which is intended to be used in the top part of the machine.

The bottom or guide pattern I, shown in Figure l, is of the usual construction and comprises a 1 base or support 2 composed of heavy cardboard or other suitable material. This base is preferably, as shown, substantially rectangular in plan. It will be understood the bases for the separate guide patterns for the various designs, shapes or sizes of shoe parts to be marked are all the same size and shape for convenience in securing them to the supporting member or anvil of the marking machine, not shown. I

The base 2 is provided with a plurality of guide pinsor studs 3 which project from one side surface of the base and are arranged in proper position and design to receive the shoe parts as A and B which are placed on the guide pattern base 2 as illustrated by broken lines. The guide pins 3 may be of any suitable formation, but as shown, are each a headed stud member having the reduced end portion thereof adapted to extend through a corresponding aperture formed in the base 2 and secured to the base by riveting or otherwise crimping the under surface of the stud as illustrated in Figure 3.

The upper or marking pattern 6, which is shown in Figure 2, comprises a substantially rectangular base or supporting member I which, like the base 2 in Figure 1, is preferably composed of heavy cardboard, and is of substantially the same size as said base 2 to be removably attached to a suitable heador plunger, not shown, for moving the same toward the guide pattern I and the shoe pieces carried by the guide pattern. The base 1' carries my novel marking device which, it will be understood, may be arranged in any suitable form, to define a predetermined design or outline of markings.

As shown in Figure 2, the marking pattern 6 comprises two different forms or designs of marking elements 8 and 9, one of which, as 8, shown at the left hand side of the base 1, is constructed to form a continuous unbroken line or indentation, while the marking device 9 shown at the right hand side of said base is adapted to form a broken line across the shoe part as B.

The marking device 8 as shown in Figure 2, comprises a plurality of shouldered posts or studs I!) having the reduced end portion thereof extended through a corresponding hole or perforation formed in the base 1. These posts may be secured to the base in any suitable manner as by riveting or otherwise crimping the reduced end of the post into engagement with the adjacent portion of thebase i as shown at I I, Figure 3. Each post I0 has the upper or head end thereof provided with a diametrically disposed recess or slot l2 extending inwardly from the outer end thereof for the reception of a marking plate or blade l3 which is preferably composed of copper or other slightly flexible material which may be readily bent laterally to conform to various contours or outlines of the designs. These blades I3 are secured to the studs ID by means of a drop of solder as M, or the blades may be. secured in any other suitable manner as by spot welding or by the use of clamping screws or the like, mounted in the head of each stud or post I B. These marking blades are so arranged on the pattern base 7 that they will engage with the shoe part A arranged on the guide pattern I at precisely the desired places.

The arrangement of the marking devices 8 is, of course, predetermined for a given shoe part to be marked and will obviously be a pattern correspending to the guide pattern I for a given set of parts to be marked. When applying these devices to the base I the outline of the pattern is first marked with an awl or other sharp instrument upon the surface of the base I after which suitable holes for receiving the posts It are drilled or punched in the base along the design line or lines in suitable spaced relation. The posts ID are then inserted in these apertures and secured to the base with the slots l2 extending in substantially parallelism with the design line after which a blade I3 is positioned in the slots of the posts and secured to said posts as by solder M. The blades I3 are arranged to extend outwardly some distance beyond the heads of the posts and have the outer longitudinal edge thereof formed with a blunt curve as at l 5 to provide a markingedge which may be painted or coated with ink or other suitable color substance that will leave a colored line or mark on the shoe part corresponding to the marking .edge I5. However, in.

the construction shown herein, it is not necessary to employ a colored solution as the blade may be brought into sufficient pressure engagement with the shoe part to be marked to produce a slight indentation in the surface of said part which may be readily followed during the process of stitching or determining the degree of overlap of one shoe part upon another.

In Figure 2 there are shown four of these marking blades arranged to extend outwardly in diverging planes from substantially a common center, while in Figure 9, I have shown a still further arrangement of a blade which, in this instance, may comprise a substantially straight portion as l6 which terminates at one end in a laterally disposed curved portion I! which may be readily formed due to the flexibility of the marking-blade without providing separate blades and the necessity of securingadjacent ends thereof to each other to form a continuous pattern line or indentation.

In the structure shown in Figure 2, the blades are arranged in two pairs which have two severing or cutting members l9 arranged therebetween in parallel spaced relation to each other to form corresponding slots in the shoe part for the reception of an ornamental strip of leather or of other shoe material therethrough. These blades are each. constructed in the manner similar to the marking members 8. That is, each of the cutting members l9, as illustrated, com prises two posts l0 constructed and secured to the base 1 in the same manner in which the posts ID for the marking blades 13 are constructed and secured to the base.

To the posts H] for the cutting members is mounted a cutting blade 26 which may be secured thereto by solder M or other suitable means so as to project outwardly beyond the post. The outer longitudinal edge of the blade is provided with a sharp knife edge 2| arranged in greater spaced relation to the adjacent surface of the base 1 than the outer or marking edge I5 of the marking blades 13 as clearly illustrated in Figure 4. This arrangement of the cutting blades ZO-and marking blades 13 obviously provides, as the marked pattern is moved into engagement with the shoe part, for the engagement of the cutting blade or blades with the shoe part just prior to the engagement with said part of the marking blades [3 so that said cutting blades will be forced through the shoe member to form a corresponding slot during the same operation in which the marking blades define the pattern line. The cutting blades are preferably composed of thin flexible steel which may be readily bent laterally to conform to various patterns or designs andv may be made of suitable lengths to reproduce substantially any design required.

If for any reason it is not desired or necessary to form a continuous unbroken line or indentation on or in the surface of the shoe member, a guide line corresponding to the pattern may be produced by spaced lines or indentations in which case a plurality of marking members 9 may be employed. These members, as shown in Figure 6, comprise a shoulder post or stud 21522 which may have the reduced end portion thereof secured to the base 1 in the same manner in which the posts ID are secured. The outer ends of the head end portion of these pins or studs are each preferably provided with a reduced tapered portion 23 which have the outer longitudinal edge thereof spaced from the adjacent Surface of the base 1 a distance substantial- 1y equal to the spacing of the edge l5 of the marking blades l3 and these edges as 23' are preferably relatively blunt in formation so as to not easily cut or mutilate the surface of the shoe part, but will readily crease or indent said part without breaking the surface thereof in the same manner in which the marking edge l5 of the blade I3 functions.

In Figure 8 there is shown a modified form of the marking device shown in Figure 6. This member as 24 comprises a shouldered stud or post l0 having a diametrically disposed slot 12 formed in the outer end thereof and in which is secured a marking blade 25 having a marking edge 25' and which extends at either end a short distance beyond the head of the post. The marking device 24 functions in the same manner in which the marking members 9 function and is provided for producing a line or indentation of greater length than the diameter of the head of the post I 0 and, therefore, of greater length than that afforded by the marking member 9.

In Figure 7, I have shown a modified form of marking blade post as 28. This post 28 has the head or slotted end thereof of substantially the same diameter as the opposite end and is provided with an annular peripheral flange 29 secured to or made integral therewith intermediate the ends thereof for limiting the extent the post is inserted into the base 1 and for cooperating with the riveted end of the post for securing said post to the base.

In the operation of the marking patterns shown herewith, the shoe parts are marked one at a time by first placing a selected guide pattern I upon a suitable base or anvil support not shown, after which the shoe parts as A and B are positioned upon the guide pattern in contact with the guide pins 3 for maintaining said parts in predetermined relation upon the base 2 of the pattern. The marking pattern which may previously have been secured to a suitable plunger or operating head member, is moved into pressure engagement with the shoe parts with sufficient pressure to slightly indent the marking edge of the blades [3 or the members 9 or 24 into the adjacent surfaces of the shoe parts. In the meantime, if cutting blades as l9 are employed these obviously will be forced through the corresponding shoe part for forming respective slots conforming in outline to the contour of the cutting edge of the blade or blades 20.

After the particular size and design of shoe parts have been thus marked, and it is desired to similarly mark other shoe parts of different size or shape, the guide and punch patterns I and 6 are removed from the holding device and other patterns inserted in their placecorresponding to the parts now to be marked after which the marking operation described above is repeated.

Although I have shown and particularly described certain preferred forms of my invention,

I do not Wish to be limited to the exact construc tion shown as various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A pattern adapted to be removably connected with a holding element having a substantially flat supporting surface therefor for marking shoe parts or the like, comprising a substantially fiat base member provided with a plurality of apertures arranged in predetermined sequential relation with each other, a plurality of supporting posts, one for each aperture, said posts being fixedly secured to the base member to project from one side thereof only whereby the 0pposite side of the base member is maintained substantially flat for engagement with the holding element, a flexible blade provided with a marking edge, and means securing the blade to the posts with said marking edge arranged in spaced relation to the posts.

2. In a marking device for shoe parts, in combination, a substantially flat base plate, marking means on said base plate intermediate the marginal edges thereof including a thin flexible blade having a marking edge extending longitudinally thereof, and means fixedly securing the blade to the base plate so that upon relative movement of the base plate and a shoe part to ward each other in a predetermined path, said marking edge Will be brought into engagement with the shoe part to form a marking line on said part arranged in predetermined relation therewith.

3. In a marking device for shoe parts, in combination, a substantially flat base plate, marking means on said base plate including a thin flexible blade having a marking edge extending longitu dinally thereof, a plurality of posts secured to said base plate intermediate the marginal edges thereof and in predetermined sequential relation to each other to extend from one side thereof, and means securing the blade to the posts with said marking edge arranged in spaced relation thereto so that upon. relative movement of the base plate and a supporting member having a shoe part thereon toward each other in a predetermined path, said marking edge is brought into engagement with the shoe part to form a marking line on said part.

4. In a marking device for shoe parts in combination, a substantially flat base plate, marking means on said base plate including a pair of thin flexible blades adapted to be brought into operative engagement with the shoe part carried by a supporting plate upon relative movement of the plates toward each other in a predetermined path, one of said blades having a relatively blunt marking edge whereby said relative movement of the plates will be limited by the engagement thereof with the shoe part during the impressing of a marking line on the shoe part without severing the surface engaged thereby, the second of said blades having a relatively sharp cutting edge arranged slightly in advance of the blunt marking edge of the other blade whereby said surface of the shoe part will be severed thereby to form a second marking line during the formation of the first marking line.

WILLIAM J KNOX. 

